Thread cutter



Nov. 24, 1964 p. w. SAMUELS THREAD CUTTER Filed March 26, 1962 United States Patent 3,158,117 TEREAD CUTTER Donald W. Samuels, @livette, M0., assignor to Weiss- Samnels, Inc St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Filed Mar. 26, 196.2, Ser. No. 182,164 1 tliaim. (Cl. 112252) This invention relates to thread cutters, and more particularly to a thread cutter for cutting'a sewing thread extending from the needle and or bottom thread of a sewing machine.

Among the several objects of the invention may be noted the provision of a thread cutter of the class described adapted for easy attachment to the slide plate of a sewing machine simply by clipping it to the slide plate; the provision of a thread cutter such as described adapted, after cutting of the sewing thread, to act as a clamp for holding the end of the thread extending from the sewing machine in position for the next operation and to keep it from coming out of the eye of the needle; and the provision of a thread cutter such as described which is of simplified economical construction. Other objects and features will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the constructions hereinafter described, the scope or" the invention being indicated in the following claim.

In the accompanying drawings, in which one of various possible embodiments of the invention is illustrated,

FIGS. 1 and 2 are perspectives showing a thread cutter of this invention on the slide plate of a sewing machine, and showing how the sewing thread is cut;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view showing the cutter clipped on the slide plate;

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the cutter clipped on the slide plate;

FIG. 5 is a view in elevation on line 5-5 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a section on line 6-6 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective of the cutter per se.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, a thread cutter 1 of this invention is shown to comprise a sheet metal member (made of spring steel stock, for example) having a flat body portion 3. This body portion is of generally triangular shape, having left and right side edges 5 and 7 diverging from a relatively narrow forward end 9 to a relatively wide rearward end 11 thereof. A notch 13 is provided in the rearward end 11 of body portion 3. As shown, this notch is of V-shape, with left and right side edges 15 and 17 preferably at right angles to one another. The right side edge 17 is sharpened to provide a thread cutting edge.

The sheet metal blank from which the cutter is made is shaped to provide a rectangular tongue 19 projecting from the right side edge 7 of the body portion 3. This tongue is spaced from the rearward end of the body portion 3 and is bent under the body portion to provide a clip whereby the cutter may be clipped on the edge 21 of the slide plate 23 of a sewing machine 25 toward the needle 27 of the sewing machine with the body portion on top of the slide plate and the notch 13 toward the rear of the sewing machine. The tongue or clip 19 is bent for resilient engagement of the cutter with the slide plate. The tip of the body portion 3 at the right of the notch 13 is bent up as indicated at 29.

To apply the cutter 1 to the slide plate 23, the latter is removed from the bed of the sewing machine, and

Patented Nov. 2 1-, 1954 the cutter clipped on edge 21 of the slide plate as shown in FIGS. 3-6 with body portion 3 of the cutter on top of the slide plate. Then the slide plate is replaced on the bed or" the sewing machine in the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. This places the cutter at the right of the slide plate with notch 13 toward the rear. To cut the sewing thread T extending from needle 27 and or bottom thread of the sewing machine to the work vW which has just been sewn, the work is moved forward to pull the thread under the region of the body portion 3 of the cutter at the right of the notch 13 (entry of the thread thereunder being facilitated by reason of the provision of the upwardly bent tip 29), and the thread is entered in notch 13 and pulled against sharpened edge 17 to cut it. This leaves the'end portion of the thread which extends from the needle and or bottom thread clipped under the region of the body portion 3 at the right of the notch 13 to hold it in position for the next sewing operation and to keep it from coming out of the eye of the needle. It will be observed that the rearward edge 31 of the juncture of tongue or clip 19 to body portion 3 is spaced from the rearward end of body portion 3 to enable the thread to be pulled under the region of the body portion at the right of notch 13.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.

As various changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

A thread cutter adapted for attachment to the slide plate of a sewing machine, said thread cutter comprising a sheet metal member having an elongate flat body portion, said body portion having left and right side edges and forward and rearward ends, said body portion having a V-shaped notch in its rearward end, the tip of the body portion on the right of the notch extending farther rearward than the tip of the body portion on the left of the notch and being bent upward away from the plane of the body portion, and a tongue integral with said body portion projecting from the right side edge of said body portion spaced from the rearward end of said body portion and bent under said body portion to provide a clip whereby said member may be clipped on the edge of the slide plate toward the needle of the sewing machine with said body portion wholly overlying the top of the slide plate and with said notch at the rear, the right side edge of said notch being sharpened to provide a thread cutting edge, whereby a sewing thread used in the sewing machine may be pulled under the bent-up tip of the body portion at the right of the notch, entered in the notch and cut otf against said sharpened edge, leaving a portion of said thread clamped under theregion of said body portion at the right of the notch.

. References Qited in the file of this patent UNITEDSTATES PATENTS 900,070 Greist Sept. 29, 1908 1,192,813 Karle July 25, 1916 1,195,834 Matthews Aug. 22, 1916 1,684,612 Willis Sept. 18, 1928 1,883,746 HDoubler Oct. 18, 1932 2,651,483 Ritchie et al. Sept. 8, 

